Quite simply, errors happen. They happen
to the best players in the game. It's always been that way. So it's going to happen
to you, too.

Reacting to errors is something you should
prepare for and something you even can practice.

Sports
psychology consultants Ken Ravizza and Tom Hanson, who have worked with major
league players and Olympic-caliber athletes, discuss some techniques for dealing
with mistakes in their book, Heads-up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch
at a Time.

They suggest several ways to "release"
and control your emotions on the field:

Take a
deep breath and exhale. This will relax all those tensed-up muscles that tighten
in anger or frustration.

Take off your glove or hat. You can allow yourself
a moment to be frustrated when the equipment is off. But when it goes back on,
your focus must return.

Turn your back to the plate. This is another way
to give yourself a moment to collect yourself. Once you turn back to the plate,
think positive thoughts.

Use your foot to rub out a footprint or something.
Wipe out any negative thoughts about the last play.

Pick up a dirt clump,
rock or some grass. Squeeze the object in your hand. When you're done, toss it
down to rid yourself of the negatives.

Stand up straight. Even if you
hang your head for a moment, lift yourself back into a position of confidence.

Talk
to teammates. Don't retreat into a shell or keep to yourself. Get your focus back
by talking over the new situation, positioning yourself or visualizing where to
go with the ball on the next play. Channel your energy back into the game.

Combining
two or three of these usually is enough to work.

Figure
out what works best for you and do it in practice as well as games.

Remember
this, too: Scouts actually hope they see a prospect make a mistake in a game situation.
They want to see how the player reacts. Does the player dwell on the mistake?
Does it carry over to his batting or the next fielding play?

Be
sure that doesn't happen to you.

Getting warmed up

It's getting
closer now. Many pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in
about two weeks. We need to arm our reporters with your questions for your favorite
player.

Send us your questions. We'll hand them over
to our Press Pass reporters and they'll try to get the answers for you. The answers
will appear from time to time during the season on the Clubhouse page.

If
you are 18 or younger, send your questions by e-mail to bbwclubhouse@usatoday.com
or write Clubhouse Press Pass, 1000 Wilson Blvd., 21st Floor, Arlington, VA 22229.
Be sure to include your full name, age and hometown.

Babe outhomered whole teams in 1927

How
monstrous was Babe Ruth's 1927 season, when he hit 60 home runs for the New York
Yankees?

No other American League team totaled that
many home runs, and only three National League teams were able to outslug Ruth's
60.

No player from an opposing AL team even came close
to half of that total. The best total by an AL opponent was 17, by Ken Williams
of the St. Louis Browns. The NL co-leaders were Hack Wilson (Cubs) and Cy Williams
(Phillies) with 30 home runs each.

Two of Ruth's Yankee
teammates did their best to keep up with the star. Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri
each had a three-home run game in June. But they finished with 47 and 18 home
runs, respectively, giving the Yankees a 1-2-3 sweep in the AL home run race.